WKKF STAFF BIOGRAPHIES Keith Aikens Communications Officer Keith Aikens is a communications officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, he manages communications projects and provides leadership in developing and implementing communication strategies by collaborating with key staff, providing high-level technical assistance to grantees and forming working relationships with external stakeholders in support of program efforts. Crystal Beard Battle Creek Crystal Beard is a program specialist for Greater Battle Creek Programming with a central focus on grant processing and management. She also provides operational and administrative support including information and financial data analysis, communication, and liaison for hometown programming. Jon-Paul Bianchi Associate Education and Learning / Grand Rapids Jon-Paul is an associate program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. As a member of the Education and Learning team, he provides expertise in all aspects of the grantmaking process including evaluating grant proposals, conducting background research, preparing of funding documents, monitoring grants, driving community connections and providing grantee customer service. He also contributes to program strategy development, including affecting systemic change and integrating the foundation s priority areas. Nadia C. Brigham Grand Rapids Nadia Brigham is a program officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Grand Rapids, Mich. She co-leads the Grand Rapids place-based team, co-directing both strategy and investments. Nadia is responsible for developing and coordinating strategic grantmaking activities addressing systemic barriers that create vulnerable conditions for historically marginalized communities and children. Her work includes implementing programmatic and grantmaking activities to increase social change impact, on-going analysis of solutions and trends, developing relationships within the field, fostering alliances with community and philanthropic partners, and supporting the overall direction and implementation of the Kellogg Foundation s strategic framework. Nadia also serves as co-lead for the New Options Project, an effort focused on prototype development for marketbased pathways to employment for disconnected young adults ages 16 to 24.
Andrew M. Brower Grand Rapids Andrew Brower is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation based out of Grand Rapids, Mich. He co-leads the Grand Rapids place-based team, co-directing both strategy and investments. Brower is responsible for developing and coordinating strategic grantmaking activities addressing systemic barriers that create vulnerable conditions for historically marginalized communities and children. His work includes implementing programmatic and grantmaking activities to increase social change impact, ongoing analysis of solutions and trends, developing relationships within the field, fostering alliances with community and philanthropic partners, and supporting the overall direction and implementation of the Kellogg Foundation s strategic framework. Andrew also serves as co-lead for the New Options Project, an effort focused on prototype development for marketbased pathways to employment for disconnected young people ages 16 to 24. Diana N. Derige, MPH Food, Health and Well-Being / Diana Derige is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. As a member of the Food, Health and Well-Being team, Diana serves as a convener, collaborator and catalyst, responsible for nurturing opportunities for affecting positive systemic change in communities and executing programming efforts aligned with the foundation s mission. She focuses on funding opportunities that enable the foundation to make progress in ensuring that all children can grow and thrive by having love, good parenting, high-quality food, physical activity, interaction with nature and access to healthcare. Arelis E. Diaz Education and Learning / Battle Creek and Grand Rapids Arelis Diaz is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. As a member of the Education and Learning team, she is responsible for identifying and nurturing opportunities for affecting positive systemic change within communities and executing Effective Teaching programming efforts aligned with the foundation s goals. She manages and monitors a portfolio of active grants, providing technical assistance to grantees on model development, partnership negotiations, leadership capacity building and coaching. Her focus is on K-12 education.
Linda Jo Doctor Food, Health and Well-Being / Detroit Linda Jo Doctor is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she helps develop programming priorities, reviews and recommends proposals for funding, manages and monitors a portfolio of active grants, and designs and implements national grant initiatives, place-based work and multi-year projects. As a member of the Food, Health and Well-Being team, her work focuses on the impact of environmental conditions on health equity. She co-leads the Food and Community Program, an initiative designed to transform food systems and the physical environments in places where children live, learn and play. In Michigan, Linda Jo co-leads the foundation s placed-based work in Detroit and beyond, promoting educated, healthy and income secure children statewide. Joelle-Jude Fontaine Education and Learning / Detroit Joelle-Jude Fontaine is a program officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she works with the Education and Learning team to develop programming priorities, identifying and nurturing opportunities to affect positive change within communities. Her responsibilities include reviewing and recommending proposals for funding, conducting site visits and maintaining strong relationships with grant seekers and external partners. She manages and monitors a portfolio of active grants, providing technical assistance to grantees on model development, partnership negotiations, leadership capacity building and coaching. Joelle's experience in improving the quality of care and education provided to young children ages 0 to 8 informs her work at WKKF in early education. Judah Gesmundo Programming/Finance Systems Analyst Judah Gesmundo is programming/finance systems analyst at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she serves as a liaison for programming and finance, ensuring integration and alignment between systems and processes. She helps to identify issues, inefficiencies, opportunities for improvement, facilitates problem solving and procedure clarification. Judah participates in system design, implementation, updates and training; and is also engaged in the development and documentation of guidelines, tools and training materials for foundation programming and operations processes.
Patti J. Grimes Food, Health and Well-Being / Detroit Patti Grimes is a program specialist with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. She assists management staff by providing operational support for programming and administrative work, which includes information and financial data analysis, communication and liaison. Brenda Holling (contracted) Brenda Holling is a contracted program specialist at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she supports the Michigan team, providing administrative services, operations assistance, program-system functions and grantee customer service, as well as participates on special projects. Kimberly M. James Evaluation Officer Learning and Innovation Kimberly James serves as an evaluation officer in the Learning, Impact and Innovation team at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this position, Kimberly provides leadership and technical assistance in the foundation s evaluation-related functions, which includes developing evaluation frameworks; identifying indicators that measure and assess the foundation s overall progress and impact; partnering with the foundation s programming staff to integrate learning and evaluation activities; and collaborating with external partners to advance practices in philanthropy and the evaluation field. Sharnita C. Johnson Detroit Sharnita Johnson is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. As part of the Michigan team, Johnson provides leadership and oversight for on-the-ground execution of program efforts in Detroit. In this capacity, she manages a grant portfolio, screens grants for funding and conducts site visits. As a program officer, she also maintains relationships with grant seekers and grantees, provides technical assistance to grantees and develops connections with decision makers in other philanthropies, businesses and government agencies. Through these efforts, she contributes to the overall strategic direction of the Kellogg Foundation.
Joanne K. Krell Vice President for Communications Joanne Krell is vice president for communications at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she serves as the senior communications advisor, providing strategic counsel for the foundation. She is responsible for domestic and international internal and external communication efforts that include marketing and promotion, public affairs, media relations and electronic media. In addition, she is responsible for developing new and innovative strategies to raise public awareness and stimulate action around the foundation s mission, vision and strategies. Huilan Y. Krenn, PhD. Education and Learning / Battle Creek Huilan Krenn is a program officer on the Education and Learning team at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she is primarily responsible for developing early learning and K-3 educational programming priorities with an emphasis on effective teaching, family engagement and systems alignment, reviewing and recommending proposals for funding, managing and monitoring a portfolio of active grants, as well as designing and implementing initiatives and projects. Huilan also participates in Battle Creek and New Orleans programming to execute the foundation s early childhood strategies in its priority places. Reggie LaGrand Director of Greater Battle Creek Programming Battle Creek Reggie LaGrand is director for Greater Battle Creek Programming. In this role, he is responsible for a wide range of program-related activities, including strategy design and implementation, proposal review, site visits, research and evaluation. He develops, maintains and connects relationships, both internal and external, that support the overall strategic framework for the organization and for program efforts within the community. Dana Linnane Policy Communications Manager Dana Linnane is a communications manager with a focus on policy for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she leads communications and media activities with program teams, including print, video, web and social media efforts, to capture and disseminate stories and lessons from WKKF-funded programs. She plays an integral role in the foundation s policy communications, implements strategies to support program areas, writes and edits content integrating clear and consistent messages, determines opportunities that highlight programming efforts and successes, and provides communication support to grantees.
Karla Lutjens Meeting Planner Program Services Department Karla Lutjens is a meeting planner in the Program Services Department at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she assists in determining conference objectives and selecting formats for delivery of information. She also is responsible for site selection, creation of conference budgets, hotel/conference center negotiations, all logistical arrangements and on-site meeting management. Lutjens consults with foundation staff to plan and implement internal meetings and networking meetings throughout the United States. Jann Mackaluso Grand Rapids Jann Mackaluso is a program specialist at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In this role, she supports Grand Rapids place-based efforts on the Michigan team through operational, programming and administrative work. In addition, she provides support for the New Options Project, an effort focused on prototype development for market-based pathways to employment for disconnected young people ages 16 to 24. Iris A. McKinley Meeting Assistant Iris McKinley is a meeting assistant in the organizational services department at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she provides assistance to the staff in meetings, travel and facilities. She is responsible for logistical and administrative support, information analysis, communication and provides customer service. Esther Nieves Food, Health and Well-Being / Community and Civic Engagement Esther Nieves is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. Esther is responsible for assuring effective implementation of the Community and Civic Engagement program strategy in the Kellogg Foundation s priority places and other geographic areas. In this role, she is responsible for identifying and nurturing opportunities for affecting positive systemic change within communities and executing programming efforts aligned with the foundation s goals. She serves as a convener, collaborator and catalyst, focusing on citizen participation and community engagement, multi-sector strategies and new models for movement building to improve the well-being of vulnerable children and families.
Janet E. Pawlak Statewide Team Janet E. Pawlak is a program specialist with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she assists management staff by providing operational support for statewide programming in Michigan and administrative work that includes information and financial data analysis, communication and liaison. Lori Perez Battle Creek Lori Perez is a program specialist supporting the W.K. Kellogg Foundation s Michigan programming team. In this role, she manages written and electronic correspondence; schedules and coordinates meetings, presentations, conferences and travel; and provides key grantmaking information in association with programming initiatives and non-initiative work. She maintains access to relevant knowledge for planning and management; drafts, edits, formats, proofreads and finalizes administrative and funding documents; gathers, sorts and organizes data for reports and graphic displays; and provides operational support. Paula R. Sammons Family Economic Security / Battle Creek Paula Sammons is program officer on the Family Economic Security team at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she helps manage a portfolio of grants in collaboration with senior program staff focused on building economic security for vulnerable children and families through building income, assets and aspirations. Alicia Santiago-Gancer Assistant to the Director of Michigan Programs Alicia Santiago-Gancer serves as Assistant to the Director of Michigan Programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she provides leadership and management for effective program area operations in support of the foundation s mission and grantmaking efforts. Alicia assists leadership by carrying out a broad range of responsibilities including planning assistance, operations supervision, executive support, human resource management, as well as planning and analysis. She also assists in creating and maintaining a positive and collaborative work environment by identifying and coordinating teambuilding activities. Other responsibilities include implementing and managing effective and efficient work flows; assuring alignment and linkage of department operations with the strategic framework, foundation internal procedures, policies and systems; and use of modern office management techniques and approaches.
Jocelyn V. Sargent Food, Health and Well-Being / Racial Equity / Jocelyn Sargent is a program officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, Jocelyn is responsible for leadership and vision in program conceptualization, design, planning, management, coordination, communication, evaluation, policy and learning. She maintains accurate and current knowledge about trends, movements and developing policy to stimulate appropriate programming directions and capitalize on emergency opportunities. She assists in forecasting resource requirements by identifying and examining the opportunities and challenges in coordinating and leveraging human and financial resources for grantmaking and changemaking. Jocelyn focuses on Food, Health and Well-Being programs, and also serves on the Racial Equity team. Patrick Simpson, MPH Food, Health and Well-Being / Patrick Simpson is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. As a member of the Food, Health and Well-Being team, Patrick serves as a convener, collaborator and catalyst, responsible for nurturing opportunities for affecting positive systemic change in communities, and executing programming efforts aligned with the foundation s mission. He focuses on funding opportunities that enable the foundation to make progress in ensuring that all children can be born healthy, grow and thrive by having love, good parenting and access to healthcare. Diane E. Smith Program Manager Diane Smith is a program manager with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this capacity, she provides coordination and leadership support to grantmaking activities, including the processing and tracking of grants made by the organization; obtaining, maintaining and analyzing reports; and working both internally with programming areas, and other departments, as well as externally with grantees to provide excellent customer service with an overall focus on moving grant work through the process efficiently and effectively. Sterling Speirn President and CEO Sterling Speirn is president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. Sterling joined the Kellogg Foundation in 2006. He led the foundation to a new strategic framework and refined mission focusing on propelling vulnerable children to success through a comprehensive approach focused on education and learning, food, health and well-being and family economic security along with a commitment to promoting racial equality.
Ali Webb Director for Michigan Programs Ali Webb is the state director for Michigan at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, her primary responsibility is to provide leadership to the foundation's Michigan team. During 14 years with the foundation, she has served in a variety of roles and issue areas. Most recently she was deputy director to the Chief of Staff and a program officer for the Family Economic Security team. April L. Willbur, CAP/OM Assistant to the Deputy Director Domestic Place-based Programming April Willbur serves as assistant to the deputy director for domestic place-based programming at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. She provides essential financial information required for executive decision-making and is responsible for budget planning, management, and analysis; grant and consultant administration; and serves as back-up supervisor for the Michigan operations team. Teresa Williams Detroit Teresa Williams is a program specialist at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she provides operational support for programming and administrative work that includes information and financial data analysis, communication and liaison. Wendee S. Woods Director of Program Operations Program Operations Wendee Woods is director of program operations with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. In this role, she provides coordination and management of organizational efforts and special projects particularly across programming areas ensuring alignment and linkage with strategic framework priority places, elements and approaches, internal procedures and policies, systems, best practices and performance standards.